Moose Mountain Guide Service: December 2014

Deer season in Northern Maine runs from the last Saturday in October through the last Saturday in November. The first week of December is muzzleloader season. The five week period can be a very aggravating time. Here on our farm we put in countless hours in the off season planting food plots, mowing clover fields, pruning apple trees, trimming trails, and hanging stands. In the past five years we have seen an improvement in our little deer herd here on our farm. We have about 700 acres to work. Needless to say we spend a lot of time getting ready for 5 weeks of the year. Although with the improved habitat we have seen an increase in many other critters on the farm including, Partridge (Ruffed Grouse) snowshoe hare, black bear, moose, red fox, turkey and of course the Wiley coyote.
As I sat in the stand on the last evening of rifle season I began to think about all the work we put into the property. Up to this point in the season I had many hours in the field and had only seen a small spike horn buck and numerous does. Is the time, money and effort really worth it? With light fading fast and rifle season coming to an end, one last look over the far food plot revealed the answers to all my questions. There he stood, like he owned the whole farm(little did he know I had the smokepole crosshairs square on his chest and he was about to "Buy the farm"). When the smoke cleared all was silent. Then the questions again. Did I hit 'em? Was it a good shot? Where did he go? I quickly reloaded and climbed down from the stand. As I waited on the ground my dad came around the corner of the field. As we met I asked if it was him that shot. He looked at me like, What? He then said,"If you didn't shoot, who is down in the food plot?" With a smile on my face he knew, and I had to let go of his leg. We approached the seen with high hopes. We found the tracks and started to follow, but not a sign of blood. We continued on the track and still no blood. About 30 yards in we found the deer all piled up, he had "bought the farm". The shot had been 170 yards and had taken out the top of his heart. The smokepole had come through for another season!!
During deer season our road here in Northern Maine turns into a major highway for the great "Heater Hunter". Many trucks pass through our area,, but never a boot touches the ground. Very few people actually get out and hunt. They hope to see that wary old buck from the seat of their pick-up. I admit a few "hunters" are lucky enough to see deer and may actually get a shot off. I am very reluctant to post very many pictures of the deer we do have on the farm, for if the "wrong" eyes , or the "right" eyes see them the truck traffic on our little dead end dirt road may increase next season. Now I know that we do not "own" the deer that live on and around our farm, but it is frustrating that people just want the reward of a "legal buck" (antlers that are at least 3 inches long) not letting the juveniles grow into their full potential, and not doing any leg work (so to speak) in the off season. There is much more to deer season than just the 5 week "open season". Even if you do not have farm equipment for putting in food plots, a pair of pruning shears at the local Walmart would do wonders to the many old overgrown apple trees that surround many of the field edges. A little leg work in the off season does pay off in the open season.